4.5 out of 5 stars.

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Synopsis

Beth Cardall has a secret. For eighteen years, she has had no choice but to keep it to herself, but on Christmas Eve 2008, all that is about to change.

For Beth, 1989 was a year marked by tragedy. Her life was falling apart: her six-year-old daughter, Charlotte, was suffering from an unidentifiable illness; her marriage transformed from a seemingly happy and loving relationship to one full of betrayal and pain; her job at the dry cleaners was increasingly at risk; and she had lost any ability to trust, to hope, or to believe in herself. Then, on Christmas Day, as she rushed through a blizzard to the nearest 7-Eleven, Beth encountered Matthew, a strikingly handsome, mysterious stranger, who would single-handedly change the course of her life.

Who is this man, and how does he seem to know so much about her? He pursues her relentlessly, and only after she’s fallen deeply in love with him does she learn his incredible secret, changing the world as she knows it, as well as her own destiny.

Review

Promise Me by Richard Paul Evans is very different than many Mr. Evans’ books. It’s still an excellent book, but it is not his “usual” fare.

I’ve been a fan of Mr. Evans since shortly after The Christmas Box came out and an even bigger fan after I met him at a book signing for Finding Noel and was impressed by how awesome he is with his fans. 🙂

Mr. Evans did warn his newsletter subscribers that there was going to be a twist to this book that may throw off some readers. I was not as thrown with the plot twist as my mom and some other fans because I actually enjoy books with that sort of plot twist and I’m used to reading about them.

That being said, Promise Me is still filled with the well-rounded, fleshed-out characters that we’ve come to expect from Mr. Evans. They’re still facing the life-changing events and learning to trust, love, and live again like many of his stories. There are still important reminders within the story such as how the seemingly small changes in our lives can have the biggest impact.

I would’ve preferred that the story to go a bit beyond where it ended. It would’ve given readers a chance to see how the characters handled things once everything was back to normal, it was still a beautiful Christmas story.

I’ve recommended it highly to many of my friends, though I do make sure to tell them that it is a bit different from his previous works. You just have to stretch your mind and open it up to new possibilities. So, are you willing to suspend your disbelief? If you are, buy it, read it, love it! 🙂